I cannot vote. There no option according to my opinion. I think that Robespierre was an idealistic man, but, in the meantime, a megalomaniac devored by ambition. He try to follow his ideals so hard that, eventually, he persued them so blindly that he was eaten by the machine. His aim for purity was so huge that it had lost all humanity. Finally, Robespierre was nothing more than ideas. He had no more flesh, no more blood, no more heart.

_________________te voir encore me rappelle à la vie

Sat Jan 20, 2007 12:08 am

Merteuil

Marquis/Marquise

Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:31 amPosts: 89Location: London, UK

My definition of Robespierre is "a very deeply disturbed man".
Can this option be added to the poll

_________________~Madame de Merteuil~

Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:21 am

Louis XVI

Duc/Duchesse

Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:02 amPosts: 214Location: Petit Trianon

Okay, I took down the poll option, it didn't seem to go over too well. If you could tell me something about him, I would appreciate it!

Sat Jan 20, 2007 1:22 am

Louis-Charles

Prince/Princesse

Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 6:09 pmPosts: 1532Location: France

Robespierre had too much ambition... he had good principles: he was against the death penalty and he condemned the massacre of Lamballe for example. But he plunged in a madness revolutionary, at such point that he did not control anything any more and that he had become almost insane of violence and suspicion. He lost the reason and this has to involve many useless deaths...

My theory is that he lost his mind after witnessing the carnage in the streets of Paris. For days after the assault on the Tuilleries, gangs of men armed with axes and sabres rampaged through the streets, dismembering anyone who appeared to have money. The garden outside the Tuilleries was strewn with severed limbs and decapitated heads. I think Robespierre probably witnessed some of this, and the horror of it was what led him to devise The Terror. The "enemies within" were those who would do the same to him!

Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:59 pm

Merteuil

Marquis/Marquise

Joined: Sun Jan 14, 2007 2:31 amPosts: 89Location: London, UK

Very interesting therory, Lord Byron.
I think Robespierre was always disturbed (the obsession with purity was always there). That said, witnessing the horrors you mentionned could only have an extremely negative influence, especially on an already fragile mind.

Yes, that's very interesting, I hadn't heard of that. It's consistent with my theory that the driving psychology of the Jacobins was rage about having been excluded from a society which they longed to join. You see it especially in Marat, but also Hebert and others, and now Robespierre with his mementos. It's sort of the same mentality as celebrity stalkers.

Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:48 pm

Louis XVI

Duc/Duchesse

Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:02 amPosts: 214Location: Petit Trianon

Quite so Byron. How did Marat and Hebert express thier obsession/longing?

In Marat's writings you see a fixation on powerful men. In the early 70's he wrote ecstatically of the "conquests" of Caesar -- these being Nicomede queen of Bythinia, Eunoe queen of Mauritania, Lollia wife of Gabinus, Cleopatra, etc, etc. ("What man was more sensual, more voluptuous than Julius Caesar? What man had a passion for a greater number of mistresses?") This from a man who likely had had no romantic relationships before the revolution. A lot of people don't realize, Marat sought and attained a position as physician in Artois' stables, then later as physician to his guards. This lasted over ten years, I believe. Another interesting thing: apart from the Royal Family and close friends, the only people admitted to Marie Antoinette's private performances at the little theater beside the Trianon were the Royal Guard. So for years Marat was a stone's throw away from Antoinette and her inner circle... watching. When you look at the September Massacres -- not just what happened to Lamballe, but also the fact that fourty or so prostitutes were chopped to pieces (Royalist conspirators?) -- it seems reasonable to view Marat as the first modern serial killer.

Hebert I know less about. Apparently he was a failed playwright, and he worked at a theater in Paris. Probably he would've come near Antoinette and her entourage on a few occasions. Again it's the theme of failed social aspirations. Someone in another thread mentioned that Hebert boasted about an incident in which the king pet his dog. Probably later he would've realized the absurdity of it -- that his dog was the object of the king's attention rather than himself, yet still he boasted of it.

Wed Jan 24, 2007 10:04 pm

Louis XVI

Duc/Duchesse

Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2006 2:02 amPosts: 214Location: Petit Trianon

Thank you Byron for this valuable information! Its quite disturbing hearing about how cruel and bloodthirsty these men were, especially Marat. I'm afraid that I have only focused on the attractive side of Marie Antoinette's life, and know very little about the atrocities of the Revolution.

Wed Jan 24, 2007 11:43 pm

TsmnDs

Marquis/Marquise

Joined: Thu Dec 14, 2006 6:26 pmPosts: 134

Brace yourself Louis! The atrocities of the French Revolution are blood-curdling indeed!!

From what I recall, some of the items which are mentioned in various memoirs as belonging to the Royal family during their imprisonment were eventually fornd unde Robespierre's mattress. The Queen's final letter being one of them.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum